the government survey find that is the reported number of children with autism grew from 1.16% in 2007 to 2% now. that means about 1 million children in the united states are now diagnosed with autism. >> look. say, mom, come watch me. >> come watch me. >> reporter: experts say the new numbers do not necessarily point to a genuine increase in children with the neurological changes that are labeled as autism. >> a lot of things are changing. one, awareness is changing. we hear about autism in many different circles. two, clinicians are recognizing autism much more frequently. both of those factors are certainly playing into the increased numbers that we are seeing. >> reporter: the experts say more research is needed to know for certain whether other factors are involved in the ever growing numbers of american children being diagnosed with autism. >> aiden, where's the lollipop? >> the lollipop. >> yeah. >> reporter: robert bazell, nbc news, new york. >>> and where our weather is making news tonight, a whole lot of americans need reminding tonight it is actually spring -- at least the c